Thick Growth Nanocoatings

Abstract

A layer-by-layer deposition process for a thin film having a polyelectrolyte and a complementary species includes calibrating a buffered polyelectrolyte solution and a buffered rinse solution, depositing a polyelectrolyte layer on a substrate, and depositing a complementary species layer on the polyelectrolyte layer. Depositing a polyelectrolyte layer includes applying the buffered polyelectrolyte solution to the substrate and applying the buffered rinse solution to the substrate after the buffered polyelectrolyte solution has been applied. Depositing a complementary species layer includes applying a complementary species mixture to the substrate and applying a complementary species rinse solution to the substrate after the complementary species mixture has been applied.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A layer-by-layer deposition process for a thin film having a polyelectrolyte and a complementary species, comprising:
 calibrating a buffered polyelectrolyte solution and a buffered rinse solution;   depositing a polyelectrolyte layer on a substrate, including:
 applying the buffered polyelectrolyte solution to the substrate; 
 applying the buffered rinse solution to the substrate after the buffered polyelectrolyte solution has been applied; 
   depositing a complementary species layer on the polyelectrolyte layer, including:
 applying a complementary species mixture to the substrate; and 
 applying a complementary species rinse solution to the substrate after the complementary species mixture has been applied. 
   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising repeating the polyelectrolyte deposition and complementary species deposition alternately. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the polyelectrolyte has a first net charge;   the complementary species has a second net charge opposite to the first net charge; and   the complementary species comprises a complementary polyelectrolyte, a nano-object, or a colloidal particle.   
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein calibrating the buffered electrolyte solution and the buffered rinse solution further comprises:
 selecting a buffer, a buffer concentration, and a buffer pH for the buffered polyelectrolyte solution and the buffered rinse solution;   adding the buffer to a polyelectrolyte solute to form the buffered polyelectrolyte solution at the buffer concentration;   adding the buffer to a rinse solute to form the buffered rinse solution at the buffer concentration;   adjusting a buffered polyelectrolyte solution pH to the buffer pH; and   adjusting a buffered rinse solution pH to the buffer pH.   
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 4 , wherein the polyelectrolyte comprises poly(allylamine), polymelamine, poly(melamine-co-formaldehyde), polyvinylpyridine, poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline), poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (polyDADMAC), and polyethylenimine (PEI), poly(acrylic acid) salts, poly(vinyl sulfate), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(sodium styrene sulfonate), chitosan, or collagen. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 4 , wherein the buffer comprises tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (tris) buffer, N-tris(hydroxymethyl) methlylglycine (tricine), N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine (bicine), or 3-{[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]amino}propanesulfonic acid (TAPS) 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 4 , wherein the complementary species comprises sodium montmorillonite, hectorite, saponite, bentonite, halloysite, vermiculite, carbon nanotubes, or graphene. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the polyelectrolyte is a cationic polyelectrolyte;   the polyelectrolyte solution is cationic;   the complementary species is a clay; and   the complementary species mixture is anionic.   
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the buffer is tris;   the cationic polyelectrolyte is one of poly(allylamine) hydrochloride and chitosan; and   the complementary species is one of montmorillonite clay and vermiculite clay.   
     
     
         10 . A layer-by-layer process for creating a thin film, comprising:
 providing a buffered polyelectrolyte solution, a buffered rinse solution, a complementary species mixture, and a complementary rinse solution, wherein:
 the buffered polyelectrolyte solution includes a polyelectrolyte and a buffer; 
 the buffered rinse solution includes the buffer; 
 the complementary species mixture includes a complementary species; 
   applying the buffered polyelectrolyte solution to a substrate to create a polyelectrolyte layer;   applying the buffered rinse solution to the substrate after the buffered polyelectrolyte solution has been applied;   applying the complementary species mixture to the substrate after the buffered rinse solution has been applied to create a complementary species layer; and   applying the complementary rinse solution to the substrate after the complementary species mixture has been applied.   
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 10 , further comprising repeating the application of the buffered polyelectrolyte solution, the application of the buffered rinse solution, the application of the complementary species mixture, and the application of the complementary rinse solution. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the polyelectrolyte layer is cationic; and   the complementary species layer is anionic.   
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the polyelectrolyte is cationic; and   the complementary species is an anionic clay nanoplatelet.   
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 10 , wherein the polyelectrolyte comprises poly(allylamine), polymelamine, poly(melamine-co-formaldehyde), polyvinylpyridine, poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline), poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (polyDADMAC), and polyethylenimine (PEI), poly(acrylic acid) salts, poly(vinyl sulfate), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(sodium styrene sulfonate), chitosan, or collagen. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 10 , wherein the buffer comprises tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (tris) buffer, N-tris(hydroxymethyl) methlylglycine (tricine), N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine (bicine), or 3-{[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]amino}propanesulfonic acid (TAPS) 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 10 , wherein the complementary species comprises sodium montmorillonite, hectorite, saponite, bentonite, halloysite, vermiculite, carbon nanotubes, or graphene. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the polyelectrolyte has a first net charge;   the complementary species has a second net charge opposite to the first net charge; and   the complementary species comprises a complementary polyelectrolyte, a nano-object, or a colloidal particle.   
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the buffer is tris;   the cationic polyelectrolyte comprises poly(allylamine) hydrochloride or chitosan; and   the complementary species comprises montmorillonite clay or vermiculite clay.   
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the buffered polyelectrolyte solution and the buffered rinse solution are at or near a first pH; and   the complementary species mixture and the complementary rinse solution are at or near a second pH.   
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 19 , wherein the buffer is at or near a first concentration in the buffered polyelectrolyte solution and the buffered rinse solution.